Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A bit of hyperbole since, obviously, you can still see something. But, my point remains. The CAFE and safety requirements which have led to the lower roofs, higher belt lines, thicker pillars, smaller windows, etc. have, IMO decreased visibility overall - substantially on some models. Visibility is the first thing that I notice when getting into an older vehicle. Yeah, there's all sorts of bells and whistles like cameras, blind sport monitoring, rear traffic alert that helps deal with the consequences of decreased visibility, but still, I'd like to be able to see more.
Assuming regulations remain the same, is there any design or technology that can increase visibility? Clear, high-strength polymer around the C or D pillar that you could see through and enable the pillar to be narrower? [that's just an off-the-top-of-my-head idea, which I'm sure is probably not that great lol].
No. This is the trend until as you say...some sort of breakthrough in see through materials is achieved.
Whats scary is look at a small to midsize car from the 80s or 90s next to something from today. Many look like deathraps and total mismatches in any kind of significant collision.
New Land Rover will even shoot you, onto the windshield, panoramic view of the road in front of the front wheels. You actually see part of wheels and road they are rolling on.
You sure you are not overthinking this? Or, you have that Dodge that looks like a coffin on 4 wheels and now ALL of the cars are same way? I see fine out of my Camry.
The trend is in the opposite direction. Now they want to remove the mirrors all together. I grew up driving cars that you could see the end of the hood. Now I can't see where the front ends.
My fiesta SUCKS. As do all other modern cars I've driven. True, I can see out the front pretty good but it's the rearward visibility that sucks. The cars rake forward and have tiny windows making rear visibility horrible. In parking lots I either drive straight through or back into spaces as I can do that easier upon arrival if/when all is clear. I have come to hate backing up. My lifted pickup with 3 tool boxes and oversized tires has much better visibility upon backing up then any modern car I've been in lately!
A bit of hyperbole since, obviously, you can still see something. But, my point remains. The CAFE and safety requirements which have led to the lower roofs, higher belt lines, thicker pillars, smaller windows, etc. have, IMO decreased visibility overall - substantially on some models. Visibility is the first thing that I notice when getting into an older vehicle. Yeah, there's all sorts of bells and whistles like cameras, blind sport monitoring, rear traffic alert that helps deal with the consequences of decreased visibility, but still, I'd like to be able to see more.
Assuming regulations remain the same, is there any design or technology that can increase visibility? Clear, high-strength polymer around the C or D pillar that you could see through and enable the pillar to be narrower? [that's just an off-the-top-of-my-head idea, which I'm sure is probably not that great lol].
Thank you for posting this.
Like sheep . . . people are buying these new vehicles.
I won't buy a car with tiny windows and a high belt line. We have an SUV with great visibility, a Mercedes E class, and my sports car is one of the better ones when it comes to visibility, it's fantastic compared to others I've driven. No complaints.
You can still find vehicles out there with good visibility, but they generally tend to be SUVs and crossovers these days.
New Land Rover will even shoot you, onto the windshield, panoramic view of the road in front of the front wheels. You actually see part of wheels and road they are rolling on.
You sure you are not overthinking this? Or, you have that Dodge that looks like a coffin on 4 wheels and now ALL of the cars are same way? I see fine out of my Camry.
I want to include VW Tiguan in that list, one of the main reasons I selected it.
The 2016 Civic sedan is a pretty good car. Rear-quarter visibility is terrible though. I don't think it's just CAFE standards, design trends play a part.
Most disappointing about modern cars is that you can't tell most of them apart. Aerodynamic considerations have caused almost every model to look the same.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
